


The Sorta Bubblebath

by tommygirl



Category: Lost
Genre: Community: bubbleficathon, F/M, Fluff, Post Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-10 07:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/783463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommygirl/pseuds/tommygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire needs to relax and Charlie knows what to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sorta Bubblebath

Claire sat on one of the logs around the bonfire, rocking Aaron in his crib and politely smiling whenever one of her fellow castaways came over and stared down at him. It was as though Aaron belonged to them all at times. Locke had told her that babies were hope and Claire figured the others shared Locke’s sentiment – any god that forced a child to grow up like this was no god worth knowing.

She wondered if the other castaways could see through her smile and tell how frustrated and scared and stressed out she was. Aaron cried for hours at a time and there was no real reason for it, at least none that Jack could find. Sometimes Charlie strumming his guitar would help, but most of the time she looked at Aaron like a sleep-deprivation monster – a beautiful monster that she loved, but a monster nonetheless.

Claire went rigid when a pair of hands went over her eyes. She knew she wasn’t in danger, but after everything that had happened, her body still hadn’t caught onto that fact. The tension dissipated though, when she heard Charlie whisper in her ear, “Rose is going to watch shrub for a bit. I have a surprise for you.”

Charlie pulled Claire up, not bothering to give her a chance to answer and Rose took her place next to the crib, picking up the rocking as though Claire had never stopped. Claire looked into Charlie’s eyes, noting that he was sporting his determined face, and sighed as she allowed him to lead her away.

“Charlie, I really shouldn’t be wandering off. What if Aaron—“

“—You’re no use to the little bugger if you’re so damn frazzled you can’t see straight, Claire.”

“I’m not frazzled.”

Charlie rolled his eyes and muttered, “Bloody stubborn woman.”

Claire stopped moving. Her hands moved to her hips and she replied, “I just had a baby, Charlie. I had a baby in the middle of the woods and we’re stranded on an island with a monster and people who kidnapped me. So maybe I’m a little bit frazzled, but who isn’t? None of us are exactly well rested and you need to stop hovering before I throw you off a cliff.”

Charlie smirked and replied, “Definitely stressed, proving this was a good idea. Brilliant, if I do say so.”

“What?”

“You need to relax, Claire. You spend so much time taking care of Aaron that you need to make a little time for yourself too.”

“I’ll do that when we get rescued.”

“Claire, look at us. It’s been over a month and nothing so far. You can’t wait until we get rescued to start taking time for yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Claire paused when she heard a squeaking sound. She peered at Charlie curiously and asked, “What was that?”

Charlie pulled out a small rubber duckie from behind his back. He held it up his face and pointed at it as though to scold it. He said, “Look what you’ve done now, Fred. You’ve ruined our surprise.”

Claire smiled. Charlie had a knack for annoying her more than anyone she had ever met before, but he also managed to make her smile despite their situation. She knew that when they were rescued, he would be a part of her life if she had anything to say about it. She cared about him, more than she wanted to admit, and she loved how wonderfully he treated her all the time.

No one else had ever cared about her well being like this before. Never.

“His name is Fred?” she said.

“Fred is a fine name,” Charlie countered. Fred squeaked in agreement and Charlie added, “And he’s going to let you borrow him for a little while.”

“What am I going to do with a rubber duckie?”

Charlie took her hand again and said, “If you would’ve let me show you the surprise properly, this would make much more sense.”

Claire bit her lip to keep from responding. She reminded herself that Charlie was doing something nice for, even if she didn’t understand it. She followed him over the rocky terrain and a huge smiled formed on her lips when she heard the rush of water echoing in the air.

Charlie motioned to the waterfall and said, “Not quite as good as a spa bubblebath, but it’s the best I could do.” He led her down the hill, kicking branches aside with his feet as he walked ahead of her, and sat her down on a rock next to the basin of water.

Charlied handed her Fred and then disappeared behind her for few seconds. She called out, “Charlie? What’s going on?”

He reappeared with a towel, which he tossed at her head. He then lifted a small box and said, “I ransacked Sawyer’s stash since he’s gone. So you’ve got some shampoo and body wash and...” Charlie paused to sniff a bottle before saying, “...and I’m not sure what the hell this is.”

Claire grabbed the bottle from his grasp. She said, “It’s skin conditioner.”

“Skin conditioner? What’s that for?”

“To moisturize your skin.”

“Then what’s the moisterizer for?”

“Also to moisterize your skin.”

“You girls sure do love your body products.”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Don’t forget that you stole this from Sawyer.”

Charlie chuckled and said, “So, yeah, this is your surprise. A nice sorta bubblebath.”

She giggled. “A sorta bubblebath. I like the sound of it.”

“Well, I figured if I could feed you pretend peanut butter, you’d possess the imagination to handle the extras. If you close your eyes, you can feel the rose petals in the water and hear the nice music playing to add to the mood.”

“I really don’t know any DriveShaft songs,” Claire said with a wry smile.

Charlie shook his head. “That’s a good thing then since my music was never very nice and relaxing.”

“I’m sure it was great.”

Charlie waved her off and said, “This isn’t about me, Claire. This is about pampering you the way you deserve. So here are your goodies...” he paused and handed her the box of items. “You and Fred have a nice time.”

Charlie pointed at Fred and said, “Don’t get fresh, Fred. I’ll be right behind these rocks and I’ll know if you’re misbehaving.”

“And what if I want Fred to misbehave?”

“Then I might have to watch.”

“Charlie…” Claire replied in mock horror.

“Just kidding.”

Charlie extended his hand to her. Claire stood up and before she even realized what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around Charlie’s neck and kissed him on the lips. She knew everyone on the island thought they were a couple already, but this was the first time she had dared to act on the strange feelings Charlie elicited in her. Damn him for being so sweet and caring to her all the time.

Claire pulled back to meet Charlie’s surprised expression. She cupped his face and said, “You’re a good man, Charlie.”

“Well, you’re...I care about you, Claire, and I know how hard you’re trying to be a good mom, but you need some time for yourself.”

“You spoil me.”

She kissed him again and this time, Charlie took over as his hands roamed up her back and got tangled in her hair. He whispered, “You deserve only good things.”

Claire stepped back and tossed the towel to Charlie. She said, “Cover your eyes.”

“I wasn’t going to peep.”

“Well, cover your eyes and then sit on the rock.”

“But…”

“I can’t very well relax if I’m terrified of someone else stumbling upon me. You being here will make me feel safe.”

Charlie smiled at that and said, “Very well.”

Claire couldn’t help but laugh as Charlie threw the towel on top of his head. Claire looked at Fred and whispered, “We’re pretty lucky to have him, aren’t we?”

_{Fin}_

**Author's Note:**

> Written for: belladonnaluna, who wanted Charlie/Claire, rubber duckie and no smut for the bubbleficathon  
> Much love to iamtheenemy for once again being the best, most superfast beta in all the land. This is fluff, but I like it and hopefully so will all of you (especially belladonnaluna)


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